SMALL REMINDERS
by deetatarant
Summary: Ianto doesn't celebrate his 25th birthday.


**INTO THE LIGHT OF DAY**

Today was Ianto's 25th birthday. August 19th dawned as an unsurprisingly wet dull day and Ianto had no inclination to face it. He rolled on to his back and stared at the magnolia ceiling of his sparse bedroom and sighed rather indulgently. Thank God he'd taken the day off. The last thing he had wanted was to have to spend his birthday at work. In truth he didn't want to spend his birthday anywhere but in his bed, where he could ignore it and hope it went away.

Ianto rarely drank alcohol. There were two reasons for this, firstly he was usually at work and secondly more than one bottle of beer or glass of wine would put him under the table. He just couldn't handle the booze. It made him silly, made him giggle and always made him say things he knew he would regret alongside the hangover. Ianto decided that Owen had always made up for it; that man could easily consume enough alcohol in one sitting for the whole team if he so chose and still be coherent enough to order his kebab after. Ianto often wondered how the skinny medic had managed it.

Of course his mental ramblings brought him back to the harsh reality of his absent friends, even now, months on and he missed Owen and Tosh like he never thought possible. Each day he woke up and when he went into the Hub their lack of presence yelled at him from every corner. In some ways it had been easier to say goodbye to Tosh. At least for her there had been a funeral, and a chance to tell her how much she was loved. But for Owen there was nothing. Ianto wasn't even certain that the man was actually 'dead'. How did you die when you were already technically dead? Ianto had spent months trying to answer that question. Of course he'd said nothing to Jack and Gwen, they were raw with grief as much as he was. Some how though they had moved on whilst Ianto had remained steadfastly behind on some spiritual lay by.

25 today, August 19th 2008. So far he had buried his father, 18 friends and one lover. Shit. Perhaps it was a good day to get drunk after all.

Ianto gazed around his featureless room. Since moving into this flat three months ago he hadn't even bothered getting it furnished except for buying a new bed. He and Jack had put that to good use, but his bedroom had been the only space in the flat that had seen any use. Everything else (Not that he owned much) was still in boxes in the lounge. It was mostly his books from his university days and a few editions purchased since. Ianto had a fondness for poetry; Jack had been surprised by that little discovery.

He was musing again.

OK, time to get up. There was no way he was going back to sleep now.

His mobile buzzed.

Ianto stretched over and grabbed it off the floor. It was a text message from Jack.

Happy Birthday…Get your arse out of bed. On my way to pick U up. J x.

Ianto frowned at the Nokia in his hand.

Better get a shower then.

Ianto got the fright of his life when Jack stuck his hand through the gap in the shower curtains ten minutes later. Ianto swore at him in Welsh, but Jack made fast work of getting his own clothes off and joining him. Three hours later they were lying next to each other on the bed naked, breathless and happy.

"So." Said Jack.

"So what?" Ianto replied with a smirk.

"You ready for a little trip?"

Ianto turned his head to face his lover.

"Where to?"

"It's a surprise."

"Do I need to dress up?"

Jack grinned at him. "You can go like that if you like, well I'd like. Hey you know me." His eyes were sparkling.

Ianto blushed furiously and that made Jack's grin widen even more. He loved it that even after all this time he could still make his Ianto blush.

Ianto broke the moment.

"What about work?"

Jack scowled. "Ianto Jones, if you mention the W word one more time to day you will be in trouble."

"I will?"

Jack nodded.

"How much trouble?"

"You are a bad boy Jones Ianto Jones."

Ianto settled on baggy jeans a ratty T-shirt and his favourite hoodie, but it took him almost half an hour to locate his trainers as they hadn't even been unpacked from the move. Jack had stood in the bedroom doorway dressed in his usual attire, arms folded across his chest watching Ianto affectionately. Ianto was never at his immaculate best at home, the man was a virtual walking paradox. Jack loved it, loved him, everything about him but right now he was worried about him. Earlier that morning Jack had remembered rather belatedly and to his shame that it was in fact Ianto's birthday. Suddenly Jack knew why the young man had taken the day off at such short notice. Gwen had rolled into work with Martha in tow (Who was helping out for a couple of weeks) both of them bearing gifts and both of them disappointed to find the young man absent. The gifts were now on the back seat of Gwen's car, which Jack had borrowed for the day. Jack hadn't bothered with a present. Ianto was not a material person, didn't even bother with a TV or stereo at home, was hardly ever at home come to think of it……

"Jack?"

Jack held out his hand and Ianto took it. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. It had taken them a long time to get to this point.

"You'll need your coat, the weather is rubbish."

Ianto wasn't surprised, the worst summer on record apparently, no wonder he was so white. He half suspected that Jack had some secret tanning bed stashed away in the Hub because he always looked like he'd done a fortnight in the Carribean.

"So where are we going?"

"Out."

Ianto rolled his eyes as he pulled on his jacket.

"You can be very……"

Jack finished the sentence by kissing him. This went on for sometime and they almost started getting undressed again in the hallway. Jack pulled back.

"No, no distractions! Come on Jones."

Ianto reluctantly complied, he really wasn't in the mood to go out anywhere, but he decided to humour Jack, it wasn't often they got the chance to do stuff together anyway. Ianto went to grab his car keys.

"Won't need those. I'm driving. Gwen leant me her car."

Ianto was worried now. Gwen would kill them if Jack trashed it. Jack noted his look of horror.

"Hey, you're with the Captain!"

Ianto sort of smiled.

It was a short drive, taken in silence. Ianto just watched the grey damp world slide by as Jack happily hummed to himself and for once kept to the road rules that everyone else used. Jack risked a couple of discrete glances in Ianto's direction and noted that the young man was miles away as he stared out of the window. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. He slowly pulled the up in a small remote car park that over looked a windswept beach.

"Is this it?" Ianto completely failed to hide his surprise.

Jack unbuckled his seatbelt and looked intently into Ianto's eyes.

"Tell me something."

"What Jack?"

"When was the last time you went outside, just for the sake of it?"

Ianto froze, and then looked away out at the grey churning ocean. He couldn't remember, shit he honestly couldn't remember.

"I….."

"Exactly. This is you and me going for a walk on a nice quiet beach because we can and we don't do it nearly enough."

Ianto caught his look of deep concern. "Jack I…."

"You haven't been outside for months Ianto, not unless it's been work related, or running errands and that's normally at night anyway. You need some daylight, to actually see some of this world you spend so much of your life looking after."

Ianto chewed at his lower lip and looked back outside.

"I used to come here with my Tad."

"I know. I talked to your Mam, she hasn't seen you for months, she called the tourist office first thing to wish you a happy birthday because you hadn't even told her you'd moved and changed your phone number."

Ianto closed his eyes and leant his head back. "Oh, God. I forgot."

Jack reached over and grasped his lover's hand.

"Don't lose yourself to Torchwood Ianto."

Ianto sucked in a breath, he didn't know what to say, hadn't even realised that the outside world could actually miss his presence there.

"Come on. I've never been here before, I want you to show me around."

They walked hand in hand along the edge of the water. It was blustery but warm and the rain held off. Ianto was quiet, kept stopping and looking out to sea in the direction of Ireland, the West, America and beyond. He had loved the ocean as a child, spent every visit to the sea swimming in it, feeling immense freedom, like it was where he belonged. After Lisa had died he'd considered drowning himself in it, figuring it would be the best place to lose himself at the end. Now he just wanted to swim again. Ianto stopped once more and pulled his hand from Jacks. He tugged off his jacket and handed it to Jack and began peeling of his clothes. Jack just watched, gobsmacked as one by one items of clothing were pressed into his grasp. Shortly Ianto was standing there completely naked. Jack just drank the sight in with a smile on his face wondering what on Earth had brought this uncharacteristic display on.

Ianto looked back to the water.

"I'm going for a swim."

And off he went, charging into the surf.

It was an unnerving thing watching that tiny fragile human form amidst the vastness of the ocean. Ianto swam a long way out, much too far for Jack's liking. The young man seemed to be in control, waving at him from a distance of probably only a couple of hundred metres. Jack had never felt at ease in the sea and he was worried that Ianto had gone too far out. He was holding his breath and obviously relieved when the young man trudged dripping out of the water nearly an hour later. There was an invigorated smile on the Welshman's face. Jack passed him the t- shirt which Ianto used to pat himself dry, then handed him his clothes. Ianto was sucking in sharp, chilled breathes.

"God, it's been years since I did that."

Jack was quietly pleased to see how alive the younger man now looked, it had been a long time since he had last seen that look in Ianto's eyes.

"Thanks for bringing me out here."

Jack was grinning. "Well, if you're gonna do that every time we go out I think we should make it a daily occurrence." He ran a hand through Ianto's wet hair.

"You gonna be OK?"

Ianto nodded. "I guess I just needed the reminder. How did you get to know me so well?"

"Because you got to know me, better than anyone ever has and I like it, wanted to return the favour."

"So what now?"

Jack pulled him into a warming embrace. "We're gonna go home, get you changed and we're meeting your Mam and your sister and brother in law and nieces for dinner at Leo's restaurant."

"You're meeting my family?"

"Only if you want me there."

Ianto stepped back for a moment and smiled at Jack. "You know I do."

Jack was relieved and it showed.

"Promise me something Ianto?"

They strolled back in the direction of the car.

"If its in my power Jack, anything."

Jack squeezed his hand. "Next time you get naked like that, make sure I've got a camera."

Ianto slapped him with the damp t-shirt.


End file.
